City of Florissant, MO Article VI Finance

Section 6.1 Director of Finance—Qualifications.

[Ord. No. 2944 § 8, 7-8-1974]

The Department of Finance shall be headed by the Director of Finance. The Director shall have a degree in accounting, business administration or public administration or shall be registered under the laws of the State of Missouri as a certified public accountant.

Section 6.2 Same—Duties.

The Director of Finance shall be charged with administering the financial affairs of the City. It shall be his duty to:

(1) Maintain a general accounting system, keep books and provide budgetary controls for the City, and each of its departments, agencies and offices; keep separate accounts for each category of appropriations contained in the City budget, showing the amount of the appropriation, the amounts paid therefrom, all unpaid obligations against it and the unencumbered balance.

(2) Supervise and be responsible for the disbursement of all monies of the City and exercise control over all expenditures to insure that budget appropriations are not exceeded. To this end, he shall be required to:

(a) Certify, before any contract, order or other document is executed by which the City would incur financial obligation, that the expenditure is within the purpose of the appropriation and that there is a sufficient unencumbered balance in the appropriation account to pay same;

(b) Prescribe the forms of all financial records, receipts, vouchers, bills and claims to be used by all City departments, agencies and offices;

(c) Audit and approve before payment all bills, invoices, payrolls and other claims and issue checks for the payment of all such valid claims;

(d) Inspect and audit any accounts or records of financial transactions and require financial reports from any City department, agency or office at such intervals as he may deem appropriate.

(3) Collect or provide for the collection of all taxes, special assessments, fees, charges, amounts and claims due to the City from any source whatsoever and receive from each department, agency or office of the City any monies collected by it.

(4) Have custody of all funds under the control of the City and deposit or invest such funds as directed by the Council.

(5) Submit to the Council through the Mayor a monthly statement of all receipts and disbursements in such detail as to describe fully and clearly the financial condition of the City.

(6) Assist the Mayor in the preparation of the annual budget.

(7) Provide for an annual independent audit of all of the financial transactions and accounts of the City to be made at the close of each fiscal year by a certified public accountant which shall be submitted to the Council no later than forty-five (45) days after the close of each fiscal year.

Section 6.3 Purchasing Officer.

There shall be within the Department of Finance a Purchasing Officer, who shall be appointed by the Mayor. Pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by ordinance, the Purchasing Officer shall supervise and be responsible for the purchase, storage and distribution of all supplies, materials and equipment required by any department, agency or office of the City government and shall establish procedures for the inspection, inventory, control and transfer of all such supplies, materials and equipment. The Purchasing Officer shall also be responsible for securing all contractual or personal services required by any department, agency or office of the City government except for contracts for public improvements provided for in Article IX of this Charter and those professional services which are in their nature unique and not subject to competitive bidding.

Section 6.4 Purchasing procedures. [1]

[ Ord. No. 2944 § 9, 7-8-1974; Ord. No. 3858 § 1, 9-22-1980]

All contracts providing for payment in excess of five hundred dollars ($500.00) but not in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for purchases of supplies, materials or contractual services shall be made with the lowest and best bidder after at least three (3) competitive bids have been taken. All contracts providing for payment in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) for the purchase of supplies, materials or contractual services shall be made with the lowest and best bidder after due public notice inviting sealed bids. Bids shall be opened at the time and place designated in the notice, and the opening of said bids shall be public. The Council may not except specific contracts, purchases or sales from the requirement of competitive bidding nor shall purchases be parceled or divided to avoid the intent of this Section.

[1] Editor's Note—Ord. No. 3858, amending section 6.4, was approved at an election held April 7, 1981.

Section 6.5 Fiscal year.

The fiscal year of the City shall begin on the first day of December and shall end on the last day of November of the succeeding year, unless otherwise provided by ordinance. Such fiscal year shall also constitute the budget and accounting year.

Section 6.6 Budget—Preparation.

The Mayor, with the assistance of the Director of Finance, shall submit to the Council a budget, together with an explanatory message, no less than sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year. The budget shall provide a complete financial plan for the budget year and shall be prepared in such form as may be provided by ordinance and in accordance with accepted privileges of municipal budgeting.

Section 6.7 Same—Public hearing on budget.

Upon receipt of the budget and supporting message, the Council shall determine the time and place for a public hearing thereon and shall cause to be published a notice of such hearing, which shall be held no less than seven (7) days after publication of such notice. All interested persons shall be given an opportunity to be heard.

Section 6.8 Same—Adoption.

After the conclusion of the public hearing, the Council may increase, decrease, add or delete items in said budget, except for expenditures fixed by law, provided that the total proposed expenditures shall not exceed the total anticipated revenues.

The budget shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Council not later than three (3) days prior to the end of each respective fiscal year. Should the Council take no final action by this date, the budget as submitted shall be deemed to have been finally adopted.

Upon final adoption, the budget shall be certified by the Mayor and filed in the office of the Director of Finance. Copies of the budget shall be printed and distributed for use by all City officials, agencies and offices and shall be available to all citizens and interested parties.

Section 6.9 Appropriations and expenditures.

[ Ord. No. 2944 § 10, 7-8-1974]

Simultaneously with the final adoption of the budget, the Council shall adopt an appropriations ordinance approving the expenditures provided in the budget. If such ordinance is not adopted so that it can be in effect on the first day of the fiscal year, the expenditures in the budget shall be deemed appropriated to the several departments, agencies and offices for the purposes specified in the budget.

At the commencement of each budget year, the head of each City department, agency and office shall submit to the Mayor a schedule designating the proposed monthly allotment of the budget appropriations provided for such department, agency and office. The Mayor shall review the proposed allotments and may revise or alter such allotments before approving same. A copy of the approved allotments shall be filed with the Director of Finance, who shall authorize expenditures only in accordance with such approved allotments, and not otherwise. Allotments may be revised during the budget year in the same manner as provided for original allotments.

A transfer of an appropriation from one budget account to another may be made only upon authorization by the Council. All appropriations shall lapse at the end of the budget year to the extent that they will not have been spent or lawfully encumbered.

Section 6.10 Bonds.

The City may issue its negotiable bonds in evidence of indebtedness incurred for any purpose authorized by this Charter and for any purpose for which any City is authorized to incur indebtedness under the constitution and statutes of this state. If, under the constitution and statutes of the state, an election is required to authorize the issuance of any bonds, same shall be conducted and the results declared as provided by ordinance consistent with the requirements of the constitution and statutes. All bonds shall be sold at public sale upon sealed proposals. At least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of sale, the Director of Finance shall give notice of same by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in St. Louis County and in addition shall mail notices to parties and financial institutions which may be interested in the purchase of such bonds.